On Fire's Wings - Christie Golden [109]
Kevla looked down and right into the startled brown eyes of a woman about five years younger than she. They stared at each other for a moment, and an observer would have been hard-pressed to say who was the most fearful.
Kevla put a finger to her lips and slid off the sa’abah. Her legs were stiff and numb from the long ride and they buckled beneath her. She went down hard on the earth and the girl watching her giggled.
Kevla got to her feet. The girl was much shorter than she as well as younger, and in the fading light Kevla could just glimpse the two scores on her arm.
“Who are you?” the girl said in a whisper, mindful of Kevla’s gesture. “Why are you wearing a man’s rhia?” Before Kevla could answer, her eyes widened and she added, “Are you an escaping five-score?”
Kevla shook her head, rubbing her sore behind. “No,” she whispered. “But…I need your help. I’m in trouble and I need some food and some proper women’s clothing.”
The girl glanced back at the town. Small fires were being lit and their lights were orange and cheery.
Fire. Kevla closed her eyes in remembered pain, then opened them when she felt a gentle touch on her arm.
“I see that something lies heavy on your heart, uhlala,” she said, her gaze searching Kevla’s face. Kevla blinked. No one had ever addressed her as uhlala before. “You have the look of one who has suffered.” One hand reached to touch the scars on her own arm, then she forced it down.
“Only one who has known suffering can see it in another,” said Kevla, and it was true. The girl’s master had not been as kind to his five-scores as Tahmu was to his, and the child’s haunted eyes reflected that.
Kevla made a decision. “I have no wish to get you into trouble. Let me water my mount and I will go.”
“No,” the girl said. “Wait here until it is full dark. Then I can help you. I tend the sa’abahs, I am not generally permitted in the town.”
Kevla’s eyes brimmed with tears. She was moved to encounter so much kindness from a stranger. “Thank you,” she said.
The sa’abah-tender was as good as her word. Once darkness had fallen, she sneaked into the village and returned with a sack and a waterskin.
“They are all drunk,” she said. “Our khashim is celebrating a great victory against the Star Clan. Tomorrow when things are missing, everyone will be accusing the other. Here. I got you some bread, some dried meat, some fruit and water. The best I could do is give you some of my clothing. It is not befitting your station, but it will cover you properly.”
Kevla accepted the offering. “I don’t know how to thank you,” she said.
The girl inclined her head. “It is little enough. Uhlala—I do not know you, nor your errand. But somehow I feel as if I needed to do this for you. Perhaps one day, we will both understand why.”
Impulsively, Kevla reached and hugged the girl. The child felt stiff in her embrace at first, then relaxed, and after a moment’s hesitation, hugged Kevla back.
Kevla mounted and turned her beast to the North. She would live a few more days at least; with luck, long enough to complete her fatal mission. She wondered if the girl would have been so forthcoming with gifts and aid if she had known Kevla’s true intentions.
She rode until the moon was high in the sky, then stopped to rest for the night. As she slipped off her mount, she realized that she had no way of restraining him. Kevla looked at the sa’abah, and he returned her gaze with interest.
“Are you going to stay with me, or are you going to run back and join your friends?”
It cocked its head and grunted.
“Which does that mean?” She wondered if she was going mad, talking to an animal. But it was better than being alone with her silent thoughts. Jashemi’s face appeared in her mind’s eye and she squeezed her eyes shut as pain constricted her heart.
I am coming, Jashemi. I will be with you soon.
She sat and the beast settled down beside her amiably. As she unwrapped the food the girl had stolen for her, the smell of it hit her nostrils and moisture flooded her mouth. She ate